I recently had the fortune to interview Dr. Andrew Newberg, one of the leading researchers centered on meditation and also the brain. Dr. Newberg is definitely an Associate Professor within the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s researched the mind impact of meditation, prayer, and just how thinking processes is associated with mystical and religious experiences.
Question (Q): Dr. Newberg, thank you for being with us today. Can you please explain the source of the interests in the intersection of brain research and spirituality?
Answer (A): Since i have was a kid, I’d a keen interest in spiritual practice. I always wondered how spirituality and religion affect us, and over time I found appreciate how science can help us explore and understand the world around us, including why we humans care about spiritual practices. This, of course, led me to be particularly thinking about brain research.
During medical school I had been particularly attracted by the problem of consciousness. I was fortunate to satisfy researcher Dr. Eugene D’Aquili in the early 1990s, who was simply doing much research on religious practices effect on brain because the 1970s. Through him I came to see that brain imaging can provide an amazing window in to the brain.
Q: Are we able to define religion and spirituality -which sound in my experience as completely different brain processes-, and why learning about them may be helpful from the purely secular, scientific perspective?
A: Good point, definitions matter, since different people might be trying to find God in different ways. I view being religious as taking part in organized rituals and shared beliefs, for example likely to church. Being spiritual, however, is much more of the individual practice, whether it is called meditation, or relaxation, or prayer, aimed at expanding the self, developing a feeling of oneness with the universe.
What’s happening is that specific practices that have traditionally been associated with religious and spiritual contexts may also be very useful from the mainstream, secular, health perspective, beyond those contexts. Scientists are researching, for example, what aspects of meditation may help manage stress and improve memory. How breathing and meditation techniques can bring about health and wellness. For example, my lab has become conducting a study where 15 seniors with memory troubles are practicing Kirtan Kriya meditation during 2 months, and we have found very promising preliminary outcomes in terms of the effect on brain function. The work has been funded by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, but we now have submitted a grant request towards the National Institute of Health too.
Q: Are you able to give an overview of the advantages of meditation, including Richard Davidson’s studies on mindfulness meditation?
A: There are many types of meditation – and we each are researching different practices. Which obviously share some common elements, but are different anyway. Dr. Davidson has access to the Dalai Lama and many Buddhist practitioners, a lot of his research concentrates on mindfulness meditation. We now have easier access to Franciscan monks and also to practitioners of Kirtan Kriya meditation.
At its core, meditation is definitely an active process that requires alertness and attention, which explains why we often find increased brain activity in frontal lobes during practice. Usually you have to concentrate on something – a mantra, a visual or verbal prompt- when you monitor breathing.
A variety of studies have already shown the strain management benefits of meditation, resulting in what is often called Mindfulness Based Reducing stress. What we are researching now’s do you know the cognitive – attention, memory- benefits? It is clear that memory depends on attention and also the ability to screen out distractions – so we wish to appraise the effect of meditation on the brain, both structurally and functionally.
To appraise the brain activation patterns we’ve been using SPECT imaging, which involves injecting small quantities of radioactive tracers in volunteers, helping us obtain a more look at what goes on during practice (fMRI is a lot more noisy).
To measure functional benefits we use the typical batteries of neuropsychology testing.
Q: If there is an increasing body of evidence behind the health and cognitive benefits of meditation – what’s preventing a more widespread adoption from the practice, perhaps in ways much like yoga, that is now pretty much a mainstream activity?
A: Well, the reality is that meditation requires practice and dedication. It’s not a simple fix. And some from the best-researched meditation techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, are extremely intensive. You need a trained facilitator. You need to stick to the practice.
Actually, that’s why our ongoing research centered on a much easier to teach and practice technique. You want to see if people can practice on their own, at home, a couple of minutes a day for some weeks.
Another issue is that this isn’t a standardized practice, so there is a lot of confusion: a variety of meditation techniques, with various teams of priorities and styles.
My advice for interested people is always to search for something simple, easy to try first, ensuring the practice is compatible with one’s beliefs and goals. You need to match practice with need: understand the specific goals in store, your schedule and lifestyle, and discover something practical. Otherwise, you will not stay with it (much like people who never appear at the fitness center despite paying fees).
Q: Ny Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote two very thought-provoking articles, one around the Cognitive Age we’re living in, another on the Neural Buddhists, where he quotes your work. What’s the main issue, the primary implications for society out of your research?
A: I believe Philosophy complements Science, and all of us people would take advantage of spiritual practices to attain higher state of being, develop compassion, increase awareness, with techniques compatible with any religious or secular beliefs. This is actually the main theme of my upcoming book, How God Changes Brain (to become published on March 2009): the way we develop a shared understanding of our common biology, and celebrate the differences that are based on our specific contexts. We are spiritual and social beings.
From instruction point of view, In my opinion schools will have to notice that rote learning is not enough, and increase the mix practices to enhance cognition, and manage stress and relationships.
Q: That spiritual angle may prove controversial in many scientific quarters. What would, for instance, say to biologist Richard Dawkins?
A: I’d tell him that people all view the world through the lens in our brains, reflecting our cultural, social, and personal background. His view is based on his lens. Just like mine. All of us have a belief system. His can be not particularly more accurate than everybody else’s.
We shouldn’t get rid of the infant with bathwater. I do not think religion is really a black & white matter: yes, fundamentalism is a concern, out of the box rejecting data and ignoring scientific findings. But there’s also good elements: the motivation to care about human beings, to build up compassion, to perfect ourselves and our world.
Q: Dr. Newberg, thank you for your time today.
A: My pleasure.
